Forge of Fury - DM GrubaMcD

Garavant grunts in pain--twice in succession--and grits his teeth, weighing whether to fight or flee. With a pained grin, he realizes there's really no reason to choose one or the other. 

"It's...just a flesh wound," he mutters. He bobs his head left, then quickly moves back to his right to strike again, spotting an opening left by the wide swing of the greataxe.

Should he not drop his foe, Garavant will glance over the orc's shoulder, say "Hey, what's that?" and use the distraction to scuttle away.

Rapier Attack: 17 Damage: 5
Sneak Attack Damage (Rakish Audacity) 8

Bonus Action: If Orc4 is still fighting, Disengage to avoid OAs, move back to spot on the road, SE of dead Orc2, 

Sila moves forward intercepting Orc 5 slashing with her Short sword in her right and following with a punch from her left.  "Not so fast big guy!  You messed with the wrong group."  

Short sword Attack: 12 Damage: 5

Punch Attack: 13 Damage: 4

OOC: Just realized I forgot to take the temp HPs offered by Gruenic's blessing upon awakening. I need 'em!

9

(Gruenic didn’t cast the spell in the end, please remove temp HP) 

Bree advances towards the orcs and hurls a fire bolt at one of the orcs, but the fiery missile hits the ground before reaching the target. The orc barely even registers the near miss.

Initiative order: Gruenic 9, Garavant 22*, Lucy 20, Orcs 19, Sila 17, Bree 15, Artemis 10 

*turn already posted by player 

Gruenic up next.

Gruenic steps forward, sees Garavant coming toward the road after disengaging.  He moves toward him and puts himself in front toward the orc.  Now he uses Twilight Sanctuary, calling on Selune to heal his companions.  Everyone in the party within 30 feet who wants healing, roll for 1d6 + 3 temp HP.  

Gruenic readies his warhammer and growls, actually growls at the remaining orcs.  He says “We need your ears, boys!”

Intimidation :  5 

Temp HP for Gruenic :  4 

*edited my post above to include my action for my turn. 

Lucy curses and hit her thigh with injured arm to sharpen her sences. "You ruined my Shirts! Do you know how hard to get Giant Moth silk in humanland! You're paying for that. "

Temp HP for Gruenic:9

Longbow Attack(to Orc5) : 9 Damage: 8

Gruenic moves on to the road as he advances to engage the orcs.  As his first act he draws on the power of Selune to relieve the suffering of his friends (9 temp HP for Garavant, Bree, Sila and Gruenic). 

The cleric then growls in fearsome orcish that the attackers are about to experience difficulty with their hearing, and both look fearful that they may have picked a fight they cannot win. 

Sila moves into melee range of Orc 5 and swings with her shortsword, wounding him badly across the abdomen.  Her follow-up punch looks set to cave in his face, but a late forearm block sees the blow pushed wide. The orc is badly wounded and turning pale from blood loss.

Initiative order: Lucy 20, Orcs 19, Sila 17, Bree 15, Artemis 10, Gruenic 9, Garavant 22 

(I posted the map before updating HP on the tokens in case anyone thinks they have been short changed)

(Catching up on the turns I missed somehow) 

Garavant’s flamboyant style catches the orc wide open and the magic rapier plunges deep into its chest, dropping it instantly. 

Lucy’s arrow finds its mark and wounds Orc 5 badly, allowing Sila’s strike (in post 709) to finish him off. 

With the attackers all defeated, your campsite is safe once more. 

(Combat over – award yourselves 100xp each and declare any actions or dialogue.  You are welcome to carry out a long rest, I will assume the remaining shifts will cover the extra time between them with no penalty and you would set off slightly later in the morning) 

Sila will hunt down her daggers if she's able then search the bodies of the orcs following the battle,  then return to the campsite to rest casting the Darkvision for Bree before going back to sleep after her watch. This would have given her 8 hrs so last for the remainder of the evening.  Sila regains her Ki after the equivalent of a short rest, so recovers her ki again by morning if no encounters.  

In the morning, she will spend a short time hunting, trying to come up with something fresh for breakfast.  survival  21 

"Ten more ears for the bag, Bree."  Gruenic searches the bodies of the orcs.  Were they tracked when they left or was this a random roving band, hunting party?  He settles in for a good long rest, saying his prayers to Selune, asking for a peaceful night.  He wakes up refreshed and renewed.

Examining the dead orcs you notice that there are definite similarities to the raiders you encountered at the Stone Tooth; tattoo patterns, binding patterns on their axe shafts, little things that add a hint of uniformity. 

Sila’s foraging expedition is a big success; she manages to snare some quails and locates a large patch of brambles which yields berries to complement the meat.  The haul provides a whole day’s worth of food and water, meaning nobody has to dip into their rations. 

In the morning, after a fine breakfast courtesy of Sila, you pack your kit and get ready to move on. 

(Everybody process a Long Rest please) 

You head out and carry on south towards Blasingdell, now two days’ journey away. 

The day passes mostly without incident, the forests thinning until you are travelling across rolling hills.  It gets to late afternoon and you are starting to think of scouting a good camp site when you see a curious site up ahead.  About a dozen tents and stages are set up and bustling with activity as humanoids of a wide variety of shapes, sizes and ethnicities hurry around setting up equipment and organising each other.  It seems that a carnival is setting up – nearly done by the looks of it. 

As you get closer, a human male resplendent in a plum-and-cream coloured suit, complete with top hat and a crystal-capped cane, approaches you enthusiastically. 

“Greetings, travelers!” he beams, arms spread in welcome. “If you are looking for intrigue, enjoyment and the chance to win some coin, then I beg you take a break from your journey and visit Empresario’s Fine Collection!” 

The man takes a half-turn to give you a full view of the carnival setting up behind him, and it does seem as if most of the stands are ready to entertain you. 

“Why not try your arm at wrestling Gentleman Gerald, the strongest elf in Faerun?  Or maybe a game of skill; play ‘Cat in a Bucket’ and let your eye earn you some money?  Those who consider themselves blessed by the luck of a halfling can play ‘Pluck the Owlbear’ – don't worry, it’s not real” he adds, conspiratorially. 

“Or, if you think of bigger things than money and material, you might dare venture into the tent of The Inscrutable Enigma, who can either tell your fortune or answer your questions.  Any questions.  At all...” 

By the time he reaches the end of his speech he is almost whispering, but in a dramatic style and gesturing enthusiastically to each stand.  A few other travelers have arrived from different directions at this point, some holding flyers on rough paper, a few venturing into tents or handing over coins at wooden stands. 

“So, where may I direct you fine people?” 

Gruenic remains silent and regards the carnival barker with suspicion.  “What is he selling me?  Is he just trying to make money, or something more…harmful…?”

Insight about the plum suited man :  21 

Sila steps forward and speaks to the man glancing at the ground as she does so, "This is a curious place, I can't recall seeing the like.  You must be Empresario?"  

(Check of the surrounding ground to see if it blends evenly with the environment around it or if there is an 'edge'.  She is trying to determine if its really 'here'.  As in doubting an illusion or does it fit? Nature is also an intelligence roll 17 )

Garavant smirks a little as the flaymboyant fellow pitches al the merits of his travelling carnival. He imagines it likely will be fun to stop for just a bit and see what's up. He knows, though, that the folk associated with such fairs cannot always be trusted. He tries to look casual as he shifts his belt pouch to what seems like it might be a slightly safer position. 

"So, point me to a game of skill, one that might test hand and eye, eh? Perhaps darts? Knife throwing?" He looks to Sila. "Ooh, Sila, that would be a perfect game for you, eh?" He seems genuinely excited at the prospect of trying a game out. 

"Though I must ask, why have you set up your carnival here, rather than close to town?"

He looks about, trying to get a better sense of how many people are here and where they might be coming from. 

OOC: From the description, it doesn't sound like there's a town very close by. If that's not the case, well, no big deal. 

Also, Garavant will use Sleight of Hand when the group is done talking with the man to re-readjust his pouch, getting it better hidden and secure as best he can. 
Sleight of Hand 13

@Gruenic: The man seems sincere in his intent; he wants you to enjoy the carnival.  You notice no tics, shifts or inflections that suggest otherwise. 

The man bows deeply to Sila: “Well my exotically dressed friend, I like to think that in some way we are ALL Empresario!  But in a much more specific way, I am Milos” 

@Sila:

 Milos smiles at Garavant’s questions: “Well now good sir, we set up at Frostwood last night and were a big hit; we had to be moving but promised the disappointed townspeople that we would set up again at the nearest crossroads, as we always do, to run a, erm, truncated version of the show – no big ring today, just the sideshows and games.  Now then, a game of skill you say?  Well then that is definitely Cat in a Bucket!  Come, come!” 

He gestures you over to a stand where two human twins, both of indeterminate gender and wearing green tight-fitting costumes, greet you with beaming smiles. 

Before you are arrayed five buckets of progressively larger diameter, all placed inside one another and angled towards you to look like an archery target, about 20ft away.  The inner bucket is marked ‘25’, the second ‘20’, and so on. 

“Greetings” says the first twin “I am Melnalia.  If you wish to play, it is one silver piece for five cats – beanbags – to throw at the buckets.  If you score more than one hundred points then you win ten gold pieces!” 

(If you wish to play, deduct 1sp and make five Dex rolls. I will then announce your results and outcome) 

@Garavant:

Sila noticing Garavant's belt shift, puts hers in a similarly secure location as if she always does this when walking into a carnival.  (then adjusts it later when out of obvious view to another spot)

With a competitive gleam in her eye she answers Garavant, "Yes, I think this game is perfect!" She says a little louder than she intended giving away an eagerness to outmatch the sneaky swashbuckler.  She flicks a silver lightly into the air towards the twins.  Dex Rolls 15  11  12  13  5  

 "Just getting a feel for it..." She says with embarrassment at the first toss.  

Bree's eye lit up when the man mentions "pluck the owlbear", though is visibly disappointed when he says there is no actual owlbear involved. When Garavant and Sila start moving money pouches around Bree understands what's happening and obviously moves the earbag to a more secure location. 

"Ooh.. can I join in too? I LOVE games! Though I'm probably not as good as you guys. Well... Having fun is more important than winning anyway." She steps up to the toss-place: "Can we go to the Owlbear thing next? That sounds A-MA-ZING!"

Dex rolls: 10 5 21 23 17 14 

Sila is first to step up and hand her silver piece to Melnalia, who nods gracefully and puts the coin into her belt pack.  Their twin steps forward and hands Sila five beanbags before retreating. 

The bags are rough hemp filled with barley from the feel of them.  A hessian face gives the vague impression of a cat, replete with whiskers made of string. 

Sila steps up to make her throws and scores 5, 20, 15, 20 and 15 for a total of 75, not quite the 100 needed to win.  The mute twin makes a dramatic expression of sorrow on your behalf as Melnanlia says “Oh that is so unlucky!  A few of those just bounced off the rim, I really think you might have an untapped talent” 

Bree is next, handing over her silver piece to Melnalia and taking her five cats from the mute twin.  The halfling wizard bounces the cats in her hand, testing the weight before throwing all five at the buckets: 20, 15, 15, 20, 5 for a total of 75 and another highly animated display from the twin. 

“Oh my, what a talented bunch!  I think you both just scored the best first attempts that I have seen in quite some time!” 

(OOC: Bree made six rolls so I had to take the first five) 

Bree heads over to the Pluck an Owlbear stand...